QR Codes: I’ll Show You Mine, if You Show Me Yours

3 years ago1,067 Views

QR codes seem to be popping up on advertising material
everywhere. You can’t pick up a product lately without seeing one
of these nifty little things, and it’s left many agents wondering
what they are and how to use them. Now I don’t claim to be an
expert in QR codes, but I can gladly share with you how Clint and I
have used our codes to benefit the Vanderveen Team here in Calgary.
Some of these are in the process of being set up and some of them
are already in place.

Business Cards

For many people, business cards are becoming more and more
cumbersome, and they get lost in briefcases and on dashboards of
agents and buyers across our areas. When I receive a business card
that I want to keep, I like to enter it into my iPhone right away,
so I won’t lose the contact. Having a QR code printed on the back
of the card makes that very easy for those of us with smartphones.
They can be scanned with a QR code scanning app (more on that
later) and your phone should automatically ask you if you would
like to save it to your contacts. I like having these on the back
of my cards because it gives the other agent or client a full set
of information on how to get ahold of me right there on their
phone: e-mail, website, office phone, and pager. As an example, you
can see our contact code below.

Advertising Material

Any flyers or brochures that we make for specific listings have
our website QR code on them, which will take the user to a website
that is specifically designed for that listing. Once they arrive at
the site via their smartphone, they will see we have a special
Mobile IDX website where they can use their phone’s GPS to see
other listings around them. Not only do they get the information on
the listing that they’ve scanned, but they hopefully will become
interested in other areas of our mobile site which will eventually
ask them to sign in and register with our site if they want more
information. There is no need to change anything about the QR Code
if you change something about your listing. The QR code only
directs them to a webpage. If you change the price or details of
the listing, you need only change the information on your webpage;
the QR code stays the same.

Further, if we’re sending out promotional material that is
geared only for the Vanderveen Team, this will lead them to our
main page at www.vanderveenteam.com. From
here, again, they will see that they can use our handy-dandy mobile
IDX to search the MLS using their phone’s GPS or a set of criteria
which they can enter in. Again, this information will not be
available to them unless they register on our site.

For Sale Signs

This is very much the same concept as the individual marketing
material made for each listing. It’s the same QR code that we would
use for the brochures, and it takes the user to the specific
webpage we have designed for that listing. You can make the QR code
by getting Avery clear stickers and sticking them to your for sale
sign, so that once the listing is sold, you can take it off and
make it ready for a new QR code with a new listing.

A person driving by our listing doesn’t need to get out of the
car and grab a paper brochure; they need only scan the QR code on
the sign and drive away with all the info they need on the listing.
I know there are different schools of thought about whether you
want to give potential buyers all the info they need without having
them call you. I think having a QR code is stronger than having
brochures on a for sale sign. The main reason is because it brings
that potential buyer to your site where they are required to sign
in to get information, whereas with the paper brochure they can
take it and run.

How Do I Get a QR Code?

Well, it’s super simple. We use this site
to make ours. It’s a QR code generator, and it’s free and very easy
to use. There are other options out there, however, and they’re all
certainly worth exploring.

How Do I get a QR Code Scanner?

Just cruise the iPhone App store and find one that works for
you. If you’re not on iPhone, I can’t say with any degree of
authority where you should get one. Y’all have your own app store
type deal, right? I would look there.

We’re just beginning to phase in QR codes and we’re happy with
the results we’ve seen so far! How do you use QR Codes in your
business?